The Starfish and Its K'nidrcd 53 



Interesting and extensive group are as yet unknown. 

 Indeed, even the full details regarding the lives and 

 habits of our commonest forms are still unrecorded. 

 For the young naturalist who is fired with the ambition 

 to add his substance to the sum of scientific knowledge, 

 he can not do better than to apply himself to the study 

 of whatever type is at his convenience. 



But this matter of convenience entails more than the 

 mere presence of the subject in one's locality, if one is 

 successfully to enlarge upon the knowledge of its ways. 

 It is often that chance brings discoveries which perse- 

 verance has failed to produce; and that physical con- 

 ditions for observation may also determine the 

 measure of achievement. As a case in point, let me 

 take the reader to a once favorite haunt of mine. 



Formerly, in the vicinity of Harbor Beach, there 

 stood well out in Hempstead Harbor the partly sub- 

 merged framework of an old wreck. It had been a 

 coastwise boat that years ago, on catching afire in the 

 Sound, put into this harbor w^here she was beached and 

 left to burn to the water's edge. When I first made 

 its acquaintance, all that remained was the bulkhead, 

 which was headed toward the shore, and a score or 

 more of ribs still standing upright and trailing away 

 from this point, those outermost finally losing them- 

 selves in the deeper water. The superstructure, of 

 course, had entirely disappeared. Little remained but 

 the bare skeleton of what once was evidently a well- 

 built boat. 



However, at that juncture where the keel and other 

 timbers form the framework of the bow, there was 

 yet in position a portion of the forecastle deck. This 



